LING 1 – Animal Communication – Linguistics Study Guide, Key Concepts and Comparative
Analysis
Language vs. Communication - correct answer ✔✔Language is a tool that we use.
Communication is just something that we do.
Communication is a near universal among living things.
Types of animal communication - correct answer ✔✔Auditory
Tactile
Chemical/olfactory
Visual
What are some properties of human language that are not found in most animal
communication? - correct answer ✔✔Interchangeability: A user can both transmit and receive
messages
At least some aspect of a communication system is learned from other users
Arbitrariness
Duality of patterning: communication system can be decomposed into smaller, recombinable
parts
Displacement: talk of past, present, and future
Abstract concepts
Prevarication: describing imaginary things
Ambiguity
Productivity: unlimited potential to express novel ideas
Grammar
Analysis
Language vs. Communication - correct answer ✔✔Language is a tool that we use.
Communication is just something that we do.
Communication is a near universal among living things.
Types of animal communication - correct answer ✔✔Auditory
Tactile
Chemical/olfactory
Visual
What are some properties of human language that are not found in most animal
communication? - correct answer ✔✔Interchangeability: A user can both transmit and receive
messages
At least some aspect of a communication system is learned from other users
Arbitrariness
Duality of patterning: communication system can be decomposed into smaller, recombinable
parts
Displacement: talk of past, present, and future
Abstract concepts
Prevarication: describing imaginary things
Ambiguity
Productivity: unlimited potential to express novel ideas
Grammar
